The present invention relates generally to athletic training devices and more particularly to a tennis training device to develop player skill in striking a tennis ball with a tennis racket in such a manner that the ball is contacted by a desired particular portion of the stringed area of the racket and also to develop the muscular strength and control in all parts of a player's arm.
As is well known to players and teachers of the game of tennis, a tennis racket has a particular, relatively small portion of its stringed area which provides a maximum response when the tennis ball has been struck by this portion. This high-response area of the strings is widely known as the "sweet spot" of the racket. Consistently striking the ball with this area gives the player better control of the ball, and allows the ball to be driven from the racket with a significantly higher velocity than would otherwise be obtainable. The sweet spot of the racket is not in exactly in the geometric center of the stringed area of the racket, but is generally located slightly off-center, closer to the handle of the racket.
As is also well known to players and teachers of tennis, contacting the ball with any portion of the racket other than the sweet spot can produce severe twisting and other stresses on the racket. These stresses and twists are transmitted to the arm of the player. Hitting the ball consistently with the sweet spot reduces these stresses, and thereby reduces likelihood of "tennis elbow" and other common complaints of amateur tennis players.
It is also desirable to provide a training device which will provide muscular memory and strength of grip, the wrist, lower arm or upper arm and shoulder of the player by providing a weighted device so that the foregoing is improved when repeatably simulating all actual tennis strokes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,239 discloses a tennis teaching aid which enables teaching a tennis player how to strike a tennis ball more consistently with the sweet spot of the racket. The device of this patent includes two flat plates of relatively stiff but resilient material disposed on each side of the strings of the racket and clamped together against the strings by four threaded nuts and bolts engaging aligned holes in the plates. The device is provided with at least one area of padding material placed near the edge of each plate and between each plate and the strings of the tennis racket to emit a distinctive sound when struck at its center by a tennis ball, and gives out another distinctive but different sound when struck at an off center location.
An advertisement in the May 19, 1975 issue of Sporting Goods Dealer, at page 146 discloses a practice weight that fits over the racket which comprises one spherical object which is cut in half with a projection from one half passing through the strings of the racket to engage a bore in the other half of the spherical object. This weight type device can come in variable weights as stated in the advertisement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,260 discloses an adjustable weight exerciser for athletic equipment, such as a tennis racket. In the arrangement disclosed in this patent an implement in the shape of a tennis racket without any tennis strings has a rod extending through the portion of the racket in line with the handle of the racket in the area where the strings normally would be with a weight disposed on this rod which is adjustable to provide muscular exercise and memory for the device being employed by the player.
None of the prior art mentioned above, which were the most pertinent prior art found in a search, disclose a tennis training device which trains the tennis player to hit the tennis balls in the sweet spot and simultaneously enables developing muscular control, muscular memory and strength of grip, wrist, lower arm, upper arm and shoulder when repeatably simulating all actual tennis strokes without requiring another player to hit a tennis ball to the player training.